Sunday, March 20, 2005

The Windy City

Syria is to turn to wind power. It has already installed 4000 wind electricty generators in Central Syria: Homs, Qalmoum and north of the capital Damascus.

There is a plan to build a new wind farm in Homs, which is the country's industrial hub: on the road into Homs the factory emmisions are clear to see. But now it's set to become the country's windy city (the winds flow from the Western mountains down to the eastern desert).

The turbines look like enormous fans (above). In other countries there have been protests against the sight of these huge white objects, which are placed in windswept vantage points.

But it is a far cleaner source of energy than oil which causes carbon pollution.

Unlike the Gulf Arab states, Syria does not have large reserves of oil. But it still manages to export huge amounts from the desert, which account for 70% of GDP.

But those reserves are running low. Within ten years Syria is set to be a net importer of oil. And the wind turbines make it seem like Syria has come to accept that.

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About me

Written by sasa

From Damascus, Syria

From Damascus to London via Beirut. Based in and out of the central Damascene hamlet of Saroujah.
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